Both in life and in death we are the Lord's.

Thursday, 11/3/11

Today’s Mass gives us fine readings from St. Luke and St. Paul. Luke was St. Paul’s close companion through the last half of Paul’s life. We are greatly indebted to both of them for their writings.

More than Matthew, Mark, or John, Luke thought it important to record for us stories exemplifying God’s mercy. Luke alone recalled for us Our Lord’s parable of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. In today Gospel he gives us the stories Jesus told about the shepherd who left ninety-nine sheep to look for the one who was lost, and about the woman who kept sweeping the floor until she found her lost coin.

While St. Paul in his writings tells us no stories from Our Lord’s lifetime, he is marvelous in stating the principles for right living that flow from Our Lord’s teachings.

Today’s Mass gives us one of Paul’s finest summaries of Christ’s teachings. He says, “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; both in life and in death we are the Lord’s”